Educational projects

One of the main aims of the concert series, when possible, is to to provide musical opportunities for schools in Woodbridge. These have included projects for both primary and secondary students.

The 2018 season will enable string players from Farlingaye and Woodbridge schools to perform the Concerto Grosso by Vaughan Williams alongside the Royal College of Music Strings. Written for the Rural Music Schools’ Festival in 1950, it was first performed in the Royal Albert Hall under Sir Adrian Boult. It has parts both for professional players and good amateurs. It is almost unique in the string repertoire and shows once again that, forty years after composing the Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, Vaughan Williams had not lost his ability to write beautiful music for strings.

The school players will prepare the work and then join the conductor Mark Messenger for two rehearsals before the final one with the RCM Strings on the day of the concert. This is a wonderful opportunity for these talented players to perform in a public concert with those who are about to embark on professional careers.

This concert, the second in the series, takes place on the 12th May in St Mary’s Parish Church commencing at 7.30pm. Tickets (all reserved) will be available from the beginning of March. As usual, there are free seats for those 18 and under provided they are accompanied by a parent. The concert has been specifically designed with young concert goers in mind.

Farlingaye and Woodbridge schools' students in previous rehearsals with Mark Messenger.

With an audience of parents and regular WCC audience members, students from Farlingaye High School and the Royal College of Music performed works by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

'The Lark Ascending', one of the BBC Ten Pieces for Secondary Schools, was played by Line Faber from the RCM, followed by performances of his 'Six Studies in Folk Song'. by students from Farlingaye School. The concert ended with his 'Romance for Viola and Piano' performed by Bryony Gibson Cornish who will be appearing in the last concert of the 2017 season.

Woodbridge Chamber Concerts has a tradition of working with students from the town's schools, in an annual education project, giving students an opportunity to perform classical works in a public concert. In the past this has included joining the Royal College of Music Strings in performance and receiving coaching on a Haydn string quartet by the Sacconi Quartet.

This year's educational project is based on one of the BBC's Ten Pieces for Secondary Schools. The website for further information is: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0647v1v

There will be a performance of 'The Lark Ascending' and the 'Romance for Viola and Piano' by students from the Royal College of Music. Between these two works, students from Farlingaye School, will perform his 'Six Studies in Folk Song', using the versions for cello, violin, viola and clarinet with piano accompaniment.